Is there any such thing? Let's investigate—for good or ill. A blog about fiction and literature, philosophy and theology, politics and law, science and culture, the environment and economics, and ethics and language, and any thing else that strikes our fancy. (Apologies to Bertrand Russell)

30 June 2016

This will be my last post of photos from Moloka'i. Most of these are from the trek up to Kamakou Preserve, a magnificent tropical rain forested area in the highlands of the island. There's an 8-mile drive up a rough dirt road through cattle farms, then a further 8-mile drive on what is tantamount to a rugged off-road track. From there, you hike several miles through a bog on top of the mountains, maintaining your footing the best you can on a series of 1" x 8" planks. If (and when) you step or slip off the boardwalk, if you don't twist them you sink above your ankles in sucking mud and can easily lose a shoe. For what it's worth, the effort to maintain balance on an 8" board for several miles of climbing requires serious core stability. The area starts at a picnic area about 3000' above sea level and climbs up to more than 5000' elevation and is replete with native foliage preserved by the Nature Conservancy. Enjoy! (as ever, click pics to embiggen slideshow!)

You can also see the island way down there in the 6th pic in Pt. 4 from Kalaupapa Peninsula. Elevation ~3000'.

View of Moloka'i from the road. Elevation ~4000'

Boardwalk & Indigenous Rain Forest. BTW: No snakes or spiders, and few mosquitoes!

25 June 2016

Molokai, Hawai'i, has its equivalent to Maui's famous Hana highway—much shorter of course. We drove to the end of the road at Halawa Bay Beach Park. Due to time constraints we did not get to take the hike inland to the waterfalls. There are a couple other pics from the drive to Halawa in my first and second Molokai posts below—e.g., the jetty & me on the rocks. (Click pics to embiggen slideshow)

20 June 2016

Kalaupapa Peninsula is, as the name suggests, a peninsula approximately 2.5 miles by 2.5 miles on the north coast of the island of Molokai, Hawai'i. It juts out from what are purportedly the highest sea cliffs in the world. It was formed when one such cliff sheared off and a volcanic peak arose from the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago. There are only three ways to get there: fly, ride a mule, or hike down the steep three-mile trail. Either way, you need specific permission. (I'm informed that a barge arrives every July as well, bringing supplies to the residents). Once there, there is a four-hour guided tour.

We chose to hike down the 1760' cliff face. Each of the 26 switch backs, thankfully, is numbered. Going down is murder on the knees—because you are, essentially, braking with each step. Going up takes a toll on your thighs and cardio-vascular system. We figured the hike was the equivalent of climbing down then back up a stairway to the top of a 200-story skyscraper—in the tropical heat and humidity.

Kalaupapa was formerly a leper colony. Folks with the disease were shipped here from all over the world and left to fend for themselves. It was brutal until a kindly priest and a dedicated nun brought consolation and community, treating those afflicted like human beings. Of course, leprosy—now known as Hansen's Disease—has been curable for many years. Now, the peninsula is a National Historical Park. And, quite possibly one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Below are some pictures from our hike (click pics to embiggen slideshow!):

Rainbow peeking out from behind sea cliff down which we are hiking

A rocky beach beside the trail at the bottom of the hike down Kalaupapa

The view from the pier in Kalaupapa

2000' Sea Cliffs

Famous church built by Father Damien

Sea Cliffs (as you face east from Kalaupapa) reaching to the clouds

Sea cliffs, lava rock beach

Sea Cliffs (as you face west from Kalaupapa) + Black Sand Beach beside the trail back up the cliff

Wild goats on the hike up the cliffs

That is the blue of the ocean (not the sky) from the trail!

Partial view of Kalaupapa Peninsula (2.5 x 2.5 miles) from the trail head

15 June 2016

We stayed in a small condo complex out on the West End, facing Oahu (you can see how small it is from the plane shot in my first Moloka'i post). There were four, one of them abandoned. The beaches were empty and damn near perfect. I hiked north along the shore from our place past pristine, abandoned beaches and across what appeared to be an abandoned golf course gradually being reclaimed by the island. At one time, it must have been a beautiful place to play (if you like that sort of thing), and I understand the PGA used to hold events there. But the developers and managers faltered in the first decade of this century, and now its only denizens are wild turkeys, Axis deer (aka barking deer or chital, a gift in the 1860s to the King of Hawai'i for his hunting pleasure), and mongoose—all also invasive species. I kept asking myself as I walked: Is this the future of our country if a certain developer gets his and his friends' hands on our pristine public lands?) As blogfriend BDR likes to say: "metaphors abound."

Deserted West-end Molokai Beach

A perfect, deserted cove beach on Molokai's west end

Old cart path on the former golf course fairway by perfect deserted beaces

03 June 2016

I apologize for neglecting you, oh blog o' mine. It's been a busy few weeks, with travel, a graduation, moving, and now wedding planning. I've got a few minutes now to share some pictures from my trip to Hawaii. My eldest kid aka Wisdomie graduated from UH-Manoa, and we spent a week on the island of Moloka'i. It's the smallest of the so-called 'major islands' (~38 x 10 miles) and was once home to a notorious leper colony—about which more later. Yeah, so if miles of perfect, deserted beaches and moderate to moderately strenuous hiking through tropical rainforest or on the world's highest sea cliffs and scuba diving on absolutely pristine reefs isn't your thing, then maybe Moloka'i isn't for you. Oh, and there's not a single stoplight on the entire island.

After a 9-hour flight, 6 of which was over water, Honolulu is a welcome sight! (Note the banking of the clouds above the mountains. That's a recurring image on the islands.)

You know you're in Hawaii when...

A day on the North Shore of Oahu at the iconic Waimea Bay—Eddie, apparently, had already gone. Alas.

Lava rock arch. Haleiwa—aka the World Capital of Surfing.

Marukame Noodle House where they make the noodles while you wait. Double Nikutama Bukkake Udon (probably shouldn't Google that)

Summa! (w/ lei) And on to marriage and grad school in Oceanographic Science.